The Colonel's Birthday
by zaiiixiii
Summary: Colonel Roy Mustang's Birthday is coming up in less than 24-hours and everyone is frantic about what present to give him at such short notice. However, one particular female officer isn't at all worried about what she's getting for him. Royai. Rated T for the entire story, so stay tuned for more chapters to come!
1. Chapter 01: Reporting for Duty

_Note: this is just a random fic, set in any timeline of your liking within the brotherhood universe (before Hughes death, of course). Hope you will enjoy!_

 _Disclaimer: I am just a fan who likes to write fiction. I own nothing._

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 **Chapter 01.**

 **Reporting for Duty**

"Edward..."

A familiar feminine voice shot through the rather quaint hall. Ed turned to the origins of the call, a blonde woman in military uniform was briskly walking towards them from the doorway of the hall a few feet away.

"...and Alphonse…" she shot a smile and had come to a stop when she got to them. "It's nice to see you boys in the Eastern Command. What brings you here?"

It was a female officer very familiar to the Elric Brothers, indeed. Lieutenant Hawkeye had just entered the building of Central Command Headquarters to report early to the office before anyone of her colleagues did, she also had a folder of paperwork cradled on her left forearm. It was a daily routine like any other.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye!" Edward exclaimed as he stood up from the couch in front of the building's receptionist. He had been sitting there since the moment he and his brother arrived. "It's nice to see you again, too."

"How have you been, Lieutenant?" Alphonse kindly greeted with a slight bow.

"We're actually in town on orders for a couple of days." Ed answered.

"Oh?" the Lieutenant raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "I don't seem to recall the Colonel to have dispatched any communication regarding you boys to report today." She skimmed through the documents at hand to confirm that her statement was accurate.

"Ah! We're not here on orders from the Colonel this time." Al explained.

"Pfft. And thank goodness! I don't want to have to put up with Colonel bastard right now." Ed whined at a lower tone.

"Y'know you don't mean that, brother!" Al scolded his brother lightly.

Hawkeye gave them a relaxed smile, mostly because she was elated to see the young alchemists again. "So, who asked you here then, boys?"

"Oh, yeah! Where here on orders from Lieutenant Colonel Hughes. He said it was urgent, and had to report to him immediately today." Al said.

"It's a good thing we just came from a mission near here and were around to get some rest and stock up on supplies." Ed happily added.

"Did the Lieutenant Colonel tell you the details of your next mission yet?"

"Not yet. We were instructed to wait for him here before 07-hundred hours. He should be here any minute now." Ed glanced at his pocket watch.

A few seconds later, the subject of their discussion entered through the main entrance of the building.

"Speaking of which…"

"There he is now, brother" Al alerted, mostly to the Lieutenant's attention since she had her back to the door, as the Elrics immediately spotted him.

"Great! The Lieutenant's here too!" Lieutenant Colonel Hughes happily acknowledged. He was with his regular cheery self today, as usual. The Lieutenant saluted to greet her superior officer. "At ease."

"Wait, Isn't this _our_ mission briefing? _"_ Ed clarified.

"Mission? I didn't say anything about a mission!" the Lieutenant Colonel bursted out in laughter. His words, however, were what brought everyone to his attention.

"I was thinking of setting up a little party tomorrow eve…" the hushed tone of Hughes' voice made it seem like confidential information only intended for the group. "...it's Roy's birthday tomorrow!"

"What!? That's it?" Ed made an irritated look. He didn't seem at all excited with the information.

"Really, sir?" Al asked, in a much rather cheerful and enthusiastic tone than his brother's.

Lieutenant Hawkeye only smiled politely. She wasn't surprised since she knew it was her commanding officer and closest friend's birthday. She'd always known, not because she was his aide, but they had known each other since he was under her father's wing as an apprentice.

"Yeah, it will be at my place at 19-hundred, sharp!" the young Lieutenant Colonel grinned.

"That's very nice of you, sir" Hawkeye politely complimented, of course with a hint of respect for a senior officer.

"Hahahaha! I just want him to have a bit of fun is all!" He flashed the blond Lieutenant the most honest smile he could muster.

"Brother, we should go get the colonel some gifts!" Alphonse insisted.

"Eh? Why should we? He's - " Ed was cut off.

"Of course we should! He's been nothing but nice to us and made sure we were safe! He's also _your_ superior officer!" Al convincingly reasoned to his older brother, "and besides, it's the least we can do."

Ed growled and crossed his arms. It took a while for him to gather up his thoughts.

"I hate it when you talk some conscience into me, Al" It was as lightly as Ed could grumble in an attempt to hide it away from the two officers, but to no avail.

The Lieutenant Colonel laughed loudly. "Good to hear that, boys! See you tomorrow then!" Hughes put up a hand in an attempt to wave to the boys to head out. "Oh, and Lieutenant!" he turned to the blonde woman, "I'll be expecting you there as well. I've already informed the team."

"Yes, sir."

"Now there's only the Colonel!" The man laughed hysterically as he turned and walked away.

"The Colonel's going to be in for a surprise when he reports to his office." Hawkeye lightly chuckled, holding her folder firmly. The young alchemists behind her merely stood there watching the officer walking away into the hallways of the building.

"This wasn't what I expected in coming here." Ed grumbled, hands still crossed on his chest.


	2. Chapter 02: The Invitation

_I'm pleased to give you guys the next chapter of my fic as soon as I could! I was excited to write this since it's my first FMA fic...hell, it's my first fic ever! Please be good._

 _Disclaimer: As usual, I am just a fan who loves to write...fiction._

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 **Chapter 02.**

 **The Invitation**

Three light knocks to the door in front of him interrupted the silence inside Colonel Roy Mustang's office.

He was in front of his desk, scribbling onto sheets of paper from numerous bundles of documents that were stacked and sorted in front of him. As soon he heard the knocks, he raised his attention to the door a few meters in front of him, "come in."

"Sir."

Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye walked in front of the office in salute.

"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes is here to see you, sir." She lowers her right hand when a bespectacled black-haired man barged through the doorway, swinging one of the double-doors fully open.

"Good morning, sunshine!" Maes blurted, holding his right hand up in a sort of half-salute as a gesture of greeting. "You look lovely today as always, Lieutenant." glancing sideways a bit to look at the lady officer beside the door he just entered.

"Thank you, sir." Riza replied formally and returned a polite smile.

He entered the room before the senior officer could even give him permission. "You are one lucky man, Mustang!" Hughes turned to Roy giving a loud chuckle as he walked across the room. "You don't only get the girl, you get an office in Central too! Tell me . . ." he leaned onto the desk with one hand as he bent forward smirking at Roy, ". . . how do you do it?"

Roy thought it was still too early for this kind of nonsense at the office and detected that something was up with his best friend. "What do you want, Hughes?" It was a straightforward question. Both hands rested on top of a sheet of paper, a pen in one hand, which looked like it was already signed.

"That hurts, Roy," looking disappointed. "What makes you think I came here for something?"

Roy thought for a second, arms crossed on his chest and eyeing his friend seriously. "You never come in my office this early unless it was something _very_ important," He scowled, emphasizing the word _very_. "And judging from your demeanor, _this_ isn't important. Amazing you haven't pulled out your photos yet - " It was at that moment that he wished he hadn't said that.

"Oh, right! How could I have forgotten. . ." Maes pulled out a wallet-sized photo album which released a long strip of plastic with various different photos of ". . .my adorable little girl and my beautiful wife!" He was pointing at one particular picture. "This one was taken last week when Elicia said her first word! You should've heard her, Roy, she kept saying 'mama, mama,'" the man said mimicking a little girl's tone of voice. "Oh, I'm just so proud of her!" Hughes wiggled in joy.

A vein throbbed on Roy's forehead in irritation."Is that all, Hughes? 'Cause I'd like to be getting back to work now." His arms still crossed on his chest and narrowing his eyes clearly displaying the looks of annoyance on his face.

Hughes let out a boisterous laugh, hands on his waist. "Now that's a shocker right there!" He was laughing at how Roy would prefer to 'get back to work' especially as he said that it was still _this_ early in the morning. "Lighten up, Roy, your birthday's coming up! You'll be an old geezer a lot sooner with that grumpy attitude," he teased.

Roy could hear a light giggle at the far end of the room, and immediately his eyes led him to the source - his Lieutenant. It wasn't often that the Lieutenant reacted like that. Roy frowned with a sigh, not on Hawkeye's reaction, but more on the remark from the man in front of him.

"Don't say that, Hughes. And besides, my birthday isn't until tomorrow." He said in a serious tone while continuing with his paperwork, placing the signed document to the stack on his right and taking another document to the middle of his desk from the stack on his left. He wanted to show his friend how 'busy' he was at the moment with all the documents that needed to be signed, in an attempt to end the conversation.

"That's right!" Maes exclaimed. "That's why I'll be having a little party at my place tomorrow evening. Everyone's already agreed to coming . . ." He tilted his head to Riza, ". . . even the Lieutenant."

Roy shifted his head towards Riza, blinking two times before asking, "you agreed to this?" He asked in amazement.

Riza shrugged. "Why not, sir? It sounds fun." She smirked looking at his direction.

"Great!" Excitedly, Hughes slammed both his hands lightly on the desk in front of him, "So, I'll be seeing you tomorrow at 19-hundred, birthday boy." He snickered, as he turned on his heel to casually walk out of Roy's office. "Now don't you go ditching us on your own party, alright?!"

Roy stopped scribbling through his documents as soon as he heard the door to his office slammed shut. That moment, he leaned back on his chair, slouching, and let out a defeated sigh.

"I can't believe you're up to this, Lieutenant." He lazily glanced at the blonde who was standing by the door just across the room.

"It was the Lieutenant Colonel's idea, sir. It seems to make him happy. Though, I wasn't surprised that you weren't up to the idea at all." She said, as she walked towards her desk adjacent to Roy's. She started sorting through the papers on top of her desk as soon as she took her seat behind it. "On the other hand, think about the sort of gifts you'll be getting instead," she said without even glancing at her commanding officer.

"Hmm. . ." He was curious now. "I wonder what _you'll_ be getting for me, Lieutenant." He began to rest his head on his hand which was leaning on the armchair, his attention to her.

"I guess you'll need to be there to find out then, sir" This time, she caught his gaze with a smile.

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 _Reviews are very much welcome! I'd love to hear what you think about my first fic so far! Please be kind ^^,_


	3. Chapter 03: Gifts part 1

Sorry it took a while for me to update, everyone. Had to finish an academic paper for finals. Also, a shout out for 'Mori' the guest reviewer: sorry for leaving you hanging, my friend. I didn't mean to, really, I just wanted to take my time at writing a good story for here. I did put up a warning that this fic was to have more than one chapter (it's in the summary). Either way, I love all of you guys for reviewing on my first fic ever! Here's another chapter, enjoy!

P.S. I'll post another chapter as soon as I can; no definite schedule, guys, I don't want to have you expecting. Lol

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Chapter 03: Gifts part 1

"I think I'll go ahead and have my lunch, Lieutenant." Roy said as he stood from his table and heading towards the door.

"Sir," the Lieutenant approached the man in a calm demeanor, stopping just beside him cutting his ascent to the door. "You have a command conference scheduled at 13-thirty hours. Please do not forget to attend it, all the chiefs of staff in Central Command are required to be there."

"Noted, I'll head there right after lunch. Thank you, Lieutenant." With that, he flashed a reassuring smile and walked out of the door towards the outer office and then to the hallway.

Awkward silence accompanied by scribblings sounds filled the room for a few seconds, until one of the men broke the ice.

"Is he gone?" Havoc looked over his shoulders, his arm rested on the back of his chair, eyeing the door that stood between them and the hallway.

"I think so." Breda had already had his ear pressed to the door, trying to listen to the footsteps of their superior officer fading into the distance.

"Great! Time to set things straight, boys. We have less than 24-hours left..." Havoc initiated.

Riza stood by the door to the inner office, curiosity in her yes as she stared at the five men apparently having a very serious discussion.

"...what do you guys think we should get for the Colonel?"

"What do you guys have in mind?" Falman added.

"Hmm. . ." Breda lifted his hand to his chin in thought. "I'm not quite sure what to get the boss yet actually, but I have thought about… something."

"I haven't even actually thought about what to get the Colonel yet," the youngest soldier raised his eyebrows looking tensed. "I'm not quite sure about his. . . preferences."

"Preference in women, though, I should know. He's stolen a lot of that from me that I can tell we almost have the same tastes," Havoc laughed inwardly, all attention in the room to him. "But, aside from that. . ." he slouched; an unlit cigarette hanging from his mouth, "I know jack shit about the things he like."

"You know, boys," a feminine voice interrupted, "the Colonel would appreciate anything you'd give him. You don't really have to think that hard."

"Easy for you to say, Lieutenant. Bet'cha already have something for the Colonel." Breda retorted in a rather snarky tone.

"Can't say I have, actually" the lady officer held her hand up to her chin in an act of pondering deeply. "Well, good luck with that, boys." She said as she exited the office presumably to take her lunch break.

The men stared at each other in silence until Havoc broke the ice. With a gleaming smile, he said: "Let's see whose gift the boss likes the best, huh?"

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The evening was starting to get lively at the Hughes' residence. It wasn't really crowded, just the usual people: the Elric brothers, the men from Mustang's unit, and of course, the hosts of the party, Maes and Gracia Hughes. The only people missing now was the celebrant and his adjutant.

"Huh...It's awfully not like the Lieutenant to be late to a gathering like this," Ed made mention as he noticed that the lieutenant hasn't arrived yet. He directed the conversation to his brother and Hughes who were standing near the fireplace clumped together as a small group.

"Oh! That'd be my fault...I asked Hawkeye to make sure Roy doesn't arrive too early; and that he arrives at all. I don't want him to ditch out on his party - no, sir...not on my watch!" Hughes smiled diabolically.

A few moments later, the door opened as two pairs of footsteps followed to enter the room.

"Oh! And here is our birthday boy!" Maes walked over to the figures by the door and put a hand on his best friend's shoulder with a firm pat. "Glad you could make it, Mustang! Happy birthday!"

"As if I had a choice?," Mustang smirked. He responded with also a firm pat on the back to the other man, "Thanks, Hughes."

Roy and Riza arrived together in the venue as Hughes had expected. They both spotted the other host of the celebration and started walking over to Gracia a few feet across the room. "Happy birthday, Roy," she smiled, "I'm so glad you went along with this, we've been planing about this for weeks now."

"Thank you, Gracia. Really, you didn't have to..." Roy said in a tinge of embarrassment.

"Oh no! It's no problem at all. Besides, this was all his idea in the first place," Gracia replied with a smile as she waved over to Hughes a few feet behind them. "He insisted that we throw a celebration for you… It makes him happy."

Riza could see a slight curve on her commanding officer's lips.

"Well would'ya look at that…" Ed came up from behind the group in conversation. He was followed by Al, practically towering over everyone else. "...Was that a smile just now? You almost looked...normal!" Ed teased.

"Really, Fullmetal? Can't you give a guy a break on his birthday?" Roy protested.

"Speaking of which...", he smirked as he held out a tiny grey box with a red ribbon. "...happy birthday, Colonel bastard!"

Hesitant to take the box from the young man's hand, letting his comment slide in the slight astonishment, he asked: "what is this, Fullmetal?"

"It's called a gift, ya idiot..."

"I know," he said flatly. "Surely this was your suggestion, Alphonse?" He glanced at the taller, younger Elric.

Ed hesitated, "I'll have you know that I am not totally that heartless, Mustang!" He continued as his eyes rolled in a bit of irritation, "Al and I thought thought that it's only right to give our commanding officer a proper gift on his birthday and…"

Al interjected and pulled his brother aside to silence him, "...well actually, we wanted to thank you for looking out for us, Colonel. You're not exactly our dad or anything, which means you don't have to, but you do it anyway. You've been the closest thing to a father to us since we started off on this journey, so...thank you." Ed just stood there beside his brother with his arms crossed over his chest.

Roy stared at the two boys for a moment, not sure if they had been drinking while waiting...if they'd even been drinking. He blinked once. "That's very nice of you, Al; Ed. Thanks." Roy allowed a smirk to overtake his expressions.

"Well...don't get all mushy on me now, Mustang! Take it so we can all get on with our lives." the older Elric shoved the gift to the taller man's gut as he walked away. Without any protests, he took the box and shrugged at the lady beside him.

"Are you gonna open it?" Riza asked.

"I don't see why not." Roy returned his gaze to the tiny box and pulled of the red ribbon on top. Without any wrappings, he simply took the lid off the box to reveal its contents. 'At least the ribbon made it look presentable,' he thought.

Inside the box was a little cow made of Aluminum that stood on a polished wooden base. It was heavy enough to be a paperweight, or simply a table top decoration - either way, it could go well in one of his office cabinets.

"Well, isn't that sweet of the boys," Riza smiled warmly at the sight of the gift in the man's hands beside her.

"Who am I to complain, right?" Roy smirked, putting back the lid on the tiny box. He glanced over at the blond beside him as he led them both further into the room and join in on the others to celebrate the occasion.


End file.
